---
title: "Agent"
description: "Agent trait with core event handling"
---

# Agent trait

The Agent trait defines the contract for connecting any execution backend to AG‑UI. Concrete implementations (like HttpAgent) stream core events that are handled by subscribers to maintain messages and state.

```rust
use ag_ui_client::Agent;
```

## Generics

- StateT: the agent state type. Must implement ag_ui_client::core::AgentState (Serialize + Deserialize + Clone + Debug + Send + Sync).
- FwdPropsT: forwarded properties type passed through to downstream systems. Must implement ag_ui_client::core::FwdProps.

Defaults for both are serde_json::Value, which works well for quick starts.

## Running

The core trait method you implement is run, which returns an asynchronous stream of core events:

```rust
#[async_trait::async_trait]
pub trait Agent<StateT = JsonValue, FwdPropsT = JsonValue>
where
    StateT: AgentState,
    FwdPropsT: FwdProps,
{
    async fn run(
        &self,
        input: &RunAgentInput<StateT, FwdPropsT>,
    ) -> Result<EventStream<'async_trait, StateT>, AgentError>;
}
```

For most consumers, use the provided convenience wrapper run_agent which:

- constructs an internal RunAgentInput from RunAgentParams
- initializes an event handler with your subscribers
- consumes the event stream and applies mutations
- returns RunAgentResult with final result, new messages and new state

```rust
use ag_ui_client::{Agent};
use ag_ui_client::agent::{RunAgentParams, RunAgentResult};

let params = RunAgentParams::new().user("Hello!");
let result: RunAgentResult<_> = my_agent.run_agent(&params, ()).await?;
```

## RunAgentParams

A builder for run inputs. Supports typed state and forwarded props via new_typed.

```rust
use ag_ui_client::agent::RunAgentParams;
use ag_ui_client::core::types::{Message, Tool, Context};

// JSON state (default)
let params = RunAgentParams::new()
    .user("User message")
    .add_tool(Tool::new("search".into(), "Search".into(), serde_json::json!({"type":"object"})))
    .add_context(Context::new("trace_id".into(), "123".into()));

// Strongly-typed state/forwarded props
#[derive(serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize, Clone, Debug, Default)]
struct MyState { count: u32 }
#[derive(serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize, Clone, Debug, Default)]
struct MyProps { tenant: String }

let params_typed = RunAgentParams::<MyState, MyProps>::new_typed()
    .with_state(MyState { count: 1 })
    .with_forwarded_props(MyProps { tenant: "acme".into() })
    .user("Go!");
```

Builder helpers include:

- with_run_id(run_id)
- add_tool(tool)
- add_context(ctx)
- with_forwarded_props(props)
- with_state(state)
- add_message(message)
- user(content: impl Into<String>)

## RunAgentResult

Returned by run_agent:

```rust
pub struct RunAgentResult<StateT: AgentState> {
    pub result: serde_json::Value,
    pub new_messages: Vec<Message>,
    pub new_state: StateT,
}
```

## AgentStateMutation

Subscriber methods may return AgentStateMutation to update messages and/or state and optionally stop propagation to later subscribers.

```rust
pub struct AgentStateMutation<StateT = JsonValue> {
    pub messages: Option<Vec<Message>>,
    pub state: Option<StateT>,
    pub stop_propagation: bool,
}
```

## Errors

Most Agent operations return Result<_, AgentError> where AgentError = ag_ui_client::error::AgUiClientError. See the client error page for details. Common categories include configuration errors, HTTP transport/status errors (for HttpAgent), JSON errors, and subscriber errors.
